You have to realize that the record companies aren't selling CDs for $15-17. The local record stores sell them for that price. The price that the record companies sell CDs to the local stores is probably more like $5-8.

What's sad is that the artist is forced to sign away their copyright and they typically gets 50 cents to $1 per album and they have to pay for huge promotional expenses before they start seeing any money.

I wish artists would start selling their albums on their own so I could give my money directly to them without making the big record companies and music store chains rich.